“Whether it was a setup is secondary now. I just wanted to let you know tonight will be lively – some people have been invited as witnesses!”

Inviting the enemy into the trap – a nighttime interrogation of Ke Yixiong.

Xia Xiaolan straightened her back, “Let me think… There’s Du Zhaohui and the Xia family… It will be quite lively indeed. When is Ke Yixiong arriving?”

Just as she finished speaking, she saw several cars approaching from down the street.

“Don’t get out yet. Wait until they’ve all gone inside, then you can go in to watch the show.”

Zhou Cheng advised Xia Xiaolan to be patient.

They were sitting in a Jeep parked in the Public Security Bureau’s courtyard, engine off and lights dark. Others could see there was a car parked there but wouldn’t notice anyone inside.

While others couldn’t see in, Xia Xiaolan had a clear view of everything.

The first car stopped, and several police officers quickly surrounded it. When the door opened, Ke Yixiong emerged.

Ke Yixiong seemed agitated, his usual pleasant demeanor gone, replaced by a more thuggish air.

That pleasantness had always been Ke Yixiong’s facade – a young man capable of controlling numerous gangsters couldn’t possibly be soft-hearted.

Being loved by a gang leader is romantic?

Xia Xiaolan could only say that came from reading too many brain-dead romance novels – there must be something wrong with their heads!

How could anyone not feel chills using money earned from all manner of fraud and trafficking?

While he’s speaking sweet words to you, he’s also trafficking women and children… Just thinking about it was disgusting. Where was the romance in that? People needed to drain the water from their brains!

Ke Yixiong must have sensed something was wrong, no wonder he was so restless.

He didn’t linger in the courtyard long before being escorted into the bureau. Once Ke Yixiong walked through the main doors, the bureau staff seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. His subordinates, also invited for questioning, weren’t treated as politely – willing or not, they were all taken inside.

Was there a future in organized crime?

When real harm was done to society and the state decided to remove the tumor, deploying police and even armed police or military, no gang, however aggressive, could escape.

Indeed, Du Zhaohui, who got out of the last car, couldn’t help but shrink his neck after witnessing this scene.

The night wind made Young Master Du’s neck cold.

The mainland was truly different from Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, the police wouldn’t dare drag Young Master Du from his bed at night for questioning.

Even in murder cases, lawyers would negotiate for the sons of wealthy merchants.

Gang violence, street fights, severed limbs, and spilled entrails were commonplace in Hong Kong.

But on the mainland?

Forget about it – the bandits who ambushed him last time were already the most daring.

Wait, why feel guilty? He hadn’t done anything bad in Peng City. He’d never actually tied rocks to people and thrown them into the sea. He was just here to assist with investigations – why be scared?

Du Zhaohui turned up his coat collar, “It’s quite cold tonight!”

Ah Hua nodded, “Young Master, just cooperate with the investigation quickly, then you can go back.”

Ah Hua didn’t know about last night’s events at Jinsha Pool. He just felt uneasy seeing such a big operation. His young master would be fine, so this must be about Ke Yixiong.

What a fool!

Had to play gangster, didn’t take the chance to go legitimate through the Cheng Rong Group, and instead became even more brazen in Peng City – now he’s really in trouble!

After Du Zhaohui went in with his bodyguards, Xia Xiaolan finally saw the last person.

Shivering in the night wind was Xia Hongxia!

Xia Xiaolan felt dazed, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her.”

After getting into university and moving away from Anqing, she and Xia Hongxia had gone separate ways, with no chance of meeting.

Xia Hongxia wasn’t as bad as Xia Ziyu – she was just stupid, completely fooled by Xia Ziyu and standing on her side, being instigated to come forward and make trouble for Xia Xiaolan.

Tattling behind their backs and speaking ill of others – she was too stupid to even qualify as a proper villain. Compared to Xia Ziyu, her destructive power was far too weak.

“She’s also a typical trafficking victim, that’s why she was invited.”

To identify Ke Yixiong?

Xia Hongxia couldn’t have personally witnessed Ke Yixiong’s involvement in trafficking.

But bringing her was better than having Xia Hongbing and Wang Jingui come and make a scene.

In that brief glimpse, she looked unchanged from Xia Xiaolan’s memory – still normally plump, though perhaps less provincial than when she lived in South Henan, having spent some time in Peng City.

Only after everyone had entered the bureau did Zhou Cheng open the car door.

“Come on, I’ll take you inside. You’re also a victim in this.”

The Luo family were victims too, but they were too difficult to deal with, so Zhou Cheng didn’t plan to let them know everything.

They walked in together.

Ke Yixiong and his people had already been taken to interrogation rooms, but Du Zhaohui and Xia Hongxia remained outside. Seeing Xia Xiaolan enter, Du Zhaohui’s eyes lit up.

Then he noticed Zhou Cheng beside her.

Du Zhaohui felt annoyed, “Congratulations, Director Xia. I heard Jinsha Pool sold a third of its houses today – it would be hard not to make money with your project! But shouldn’t you be very busy today? What brings you to the Public Security Bureau?”

“Whatever brings Young Master Du here brings me here too.”

Xia Xiaolan didn’t want to say more, but Du Zhaohui’s mind was racing.

If he were Xia Xiaolan’s boyfriend, at this hour they should be sleeping together, not running to the Public Security Bureau… Did they come for Ke Yixiong?

Was that loser so important?

A gaze fell on Du Zhaohui – Zhou Cheng had glanced at him.

Du Zhaohui felt a bit guilty and short of breath, afraid Zhou Cheng would see through his “condition” with one look.

No, if Hong Kong hospital X-rays couldn’t detect his problem, how could someone’s eyes see through it?

What did he have to feel guilty about? Xia Xiaolan’s boyfriend was just tall, slightly more handsome than him, and had an intimidating presence when silent… Heh, he might be a mainland official’s son, but was the Du family inferior? If they had the guts, they could compare bank accounts!

Money could build confidence, and Du Zhaohui kept sizing up Zhou Cheng.

Of course, he didn’t make eye contact with Zhou Cheng – he was secretly finding satisfaction in Zhou Cheng’s ordinary clothes!

Xia Hongxia was completely stunned.

At first, she didn’t even recognize the person who walked in as Xia Xiaolan.

The face was the same, but the way she dressed was unrecognizable.

Xia Xiaolan wore an ankle-length cashmere coat. Her face was unmade-up, her skin clean and luminous white – though tanned in summer, it had returned to its original fairness.

This… this person was Xia Xiaolan?

Xia Hongxia hadn’t seen Xia Xiaolan for a long time either and never expected they would meet again in such circumstances.

Xia Xiaolan standing shoulder to shoulder with Zhou Cheng was enough to make Xia Hongxia feel ashamed of herself.

Xia Hongxia suddenly remembered, at the County First High School gate, Xia Xiaolan had said something to Xia Ziyu “I don’t care about men like Wang Jianhua, let him be taken away, I’ll find someone better”… Hadn’t Xia Xiaolan said something like that?

Was this the better man Xia Xiaolan had found?

Xia Hongxia only knew his family background was impressive enough to scare his Second Uncle from bothering Xia Xiaolan and his former Second Aunt anymore.

But she never imagined someone with such a good family background would also be so outstanding in appearance!

Had Xia Xiaolan taken all the good things in this world? Xia Hongxia’s eyes reddened – she wanted to burst into tears!